Abu Dhabi Film Festival at The Pavilion - Award Winners series
Abu Dhabi Film Festival is hosting a film series co-curated by Butheina Hamed Kazem at The Pavilion Downtown in Dubai that will run till August this year.
This is a great initiative since the majority of films shown at our film festivals don't really get distributed or screened later at our cinemas to a wider audience after the festival. I just wish this series was hosted in a proper cinema hall across the Emirates instead of a mini cinema hall in Dubai where seating is quite limited. More needs to be done to promote non-Hollywood and regional films and I could never understand why there's no co-operation bewteen our cinemas and film festival organisations throughout the year. If you have an answer to this, please let me know.
Anyway, here's the line up for this month. The theme is Award Winners and it will be a chance to see some of the past Abu Dhabi Film Festival winners. Please spread the word, go and enjoy these wonderful films.
Thursday, 9th June at 7.30pm | Friday, 10th June at 5.30pm and 7.30pm
El Ambulante, Best New Documentary - ADFF 2010
Directed by Eduardo De La Serna, Lucas Marcheggiano & Adriana Yurcovicha
Spanish | Argentina | 2010 | 84 min
Armed with a camera, a lamp and enough charm to persuade townspeople to join his dreams, a mysterious nomadic filmmaker moves from one Argentine village to another, turning out a feature film in 30 days and making a profound impression on those left in his trail.
www.elambulantedoc.blogspot.com
Thursday, 16th June at 7:30pm | Friday, 17th June 17 at 5:30pm and 7:30pm
Gesher, Best New Narrative Film - ADFF 2010
Directed by Vahid Vakilifar
Azeri, Farsi, Kurdish | Iran | 2010 | 84 min
A vivid and touching depiction of the grinding toil and camaraderie in the day-to-day lives of migrant laborers in the gulf region, this is the story of three men who drive a beat-up car to the coast of southern Iran to take menial, low-paying jobs at a natural gas refinery.
An interview with the film director Vahid Vakilifar.
Thursday, 23rd June at 7:30pm | Friday, 24th June at 5:30pm and 7:30pm
Pink Saris, Best Documentary - ADFF 2010
Directed by Kim Longinotto
Hindi | UK, India | 2010 | 96 min
The latest work by celebrated director Longinotto follows Sampat Pal, the volatile leader of the Gulabi Gang, a cohort of women in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh who advocate for women’s rights. The film ultimately suggests that emancipation is urgent work that requires the participation of individuals who are just foolish enough to defy the status quo.
Thursday 30th June at 7:30 pm | Friday 1st July 1 at 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm
10 to 11, Best New Middle Eastern Director - ADFF 2009
Directed by Pelin Esmer
Turkish | Turkey, France, Germany | 2009 | 110 min
The director relates the story of her uncle Mithat, focusing particularly on his passion for collecting memories from the randomness of daily details. It gets harder, however, once his deteriorating health begins to trouble him and impedes his efforts. Finally, he is forced to pass his errands on to his doorman, Ali, who resorts to a different path. www.10to11.com
Event details:
All the films have English subtitles.
Free entry, but seating is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis (screenings start promptly at the specified time).
Venue: The Pavilion Downtown Dubai, Emaar Boulevard (location map)